The Philadelphia Eagles signed running back Saquon Barkley in free agency, and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum thinks it will make life much easier for quarterback Jalen Hurts from a mileage perspective.
“Barkley will give Jalen Hurts a much better chance of getting through the season healthy,” Tannenbaum writes for ESPN. “Over the past three seasons, Hurts has run the ball 491 times, which is the most by any quarterback in that span. Those numbers take a toll, and he didn’t look the same at the end of last season. With a true elite runner in the backfield, there won’t be as much pressure on Hurts to run, which will potentially keep him healthy down the stretch.”
That doesn’t mean we won’t still see the famous “Tush Push,” but it does indicate that Hurts may not have to run the ball as often with Barkley getting the bulk of the carries.
Of course, in order for that to occur, Barkley needs to stay healthy himself.
Since entering the NFL as a No. 2 overall pick of the New York Giants back in 2018, Barkley has played just one full season, which came during his rookie campaign.
Otherwise, Barkley’s career has been littered with injuries.
This past year, for example, Barkley missed three games due to a sprained ankle. He also has a torn ACL in his rearview mirror, which he suffered back in 2020.
When healthy, there is no doubt that Barkley is one of the best halfbacks the league has to offer, but therein lies the issue: when healthy.
In 2023, Barkley rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 3.9 yards per carry in what was a very mediocre season for the two-time Pro Bowler.
He did manage to play in 16 games two years ago, racking up a career-high 1,312 yards on the ground, but those types of campaigns have been few and far between for Barkley.
Hurts had a rather disappointing year in 2023, so adding Barkley into the picture should certainly help both Hurts and the Eagles’ offense in general.
But how much Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia can actually depend on Saquon Barkley remains to be seen.
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